A Summercourt woman was reduced to tears after a businessman replaced some of the equipment she lost in an alleged arson attack which also killed her beloved guinea pigs.

Chloé Cookson and her friends could only watch as a fire ripped through their new yard in the village near Newquay shortly before midnight on Tuesday, August 15.

A shed full of horse tack (equipment) worth thousands of pounds was burned to the ground, including a trail camera, as well as the hutch in which guinea pigs Vivian and Gordon were sleeping as the fire took hold.

In the absence of insurance, Chloé was urged by her friends to launch a fundraising page to help replace some of the lost equipment and to protect the yard against future damage.

Mr Nash says he was so moved by the article that he decided to get in touch with heartbroken Chloé, who has lived in Summercourt for 15 years and rents the yard with friend Claire Maclean and her family.

“Whilst comfortably catching up with news on Cornwall Live, I was stunned to this article on the fire,” Mr Nash.

“I was moved by the article and followed the link to the JustGiving page. I learned that Chloé, her friend and family were raising money to buy a trail camera to hopefully secure the area in future.

“As luck would have it, I own a local family run wildlife camera company in Redruth, and due to the nature of the article I immediately moved to action to help.”

Mike Nash with a trail camera

Instead of making a small donation, Mr Nash offered to replace the trail camera.

“I decided to leave a message on the JustGiving page, and offered to donate a professional trail camera with accessories,” he said. “This way, they can then invest the money in fencing to secure the grounds.”

Chloé, herself a photographer, says she was lost for words after reading Mr Nash’s message.

“I don’t know how to put into words to thank Mike and Handy Kam enough for donating a trail camera,” she said. “Thank you just isn’t enough.

Chloe Cookson with her eldest daughter Lily

“Hopefully we will be able to start feeling safe again now, knowing our ponies are always being watched, and we might even be able to start sleeping again.

“The generosity of Handy Kam is overwhelming, and I actually cried when I read their message.

“We just want to thank them so much.”

Mr Nash added: “It may be a great way to help them raise more funding for their fence and other items. We are pleased we were able to help.”

So far no arrests have been made in connection with the incident, but police are investigating the “suspicious fire”.

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: “Police are treating the fire as arson and appealing for anyone who saw or heard any suspicious activity in the area at the time of the offence to contact them on 101@dc.police.uk or by phone on 101, quoting crime reference CR/068939/17.”

Chloé and her friends are still hoping to raise more money to help pay for a secure fence around the perimeter of the yard.

So far, £145 has been donated to the cause. If you would like to help, visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/chlo-cookson